British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said Friday that the UN Security Council will vote on a draft resolution on Iran at 3 PM EDT (1900 GMT) on Saturday afternoon.

 

"We are all determined that the vote will be unanimous," Parry told reporters after consultations by the 15-member Security Council.

 

"We've made three minor changes to the text this evening, and hope those changes will carry when capitals naturally discuss them," Parry said.

 

"Tomorrow we're confident we will have brought the council to what we have always wanted, which is, the appropriate response to Iran to its noncompliance, but at the same time making clear to Iran that the offer of negotiation is open and that you'll find tomorrow in the explanations of both there'll be clear a commitment by six countries that actually what we want to see is Iran back at the negotiation table and let's find a diplomatic solution."

 

"We hope this resolution will help us and we're confident tomorrow that we'll secure that resolution unanimously," he added.

 

Jean-Marc de La Sabliere, the French ambassador, said the new text included a reference to a resolution adopted by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) Board of Governors on the Middle East nuclear-free zone, a compromise that incorporated amendments proposed by Indonesia and Qatar.

 

The new draft also underlined the authority of the IAEA in dealing with verification and other tasks as suggested by South Africa, Sabliere said.

 

The preamble to the draft now reads the solution to the Iranian nuclear issue would contribute to global nonproliferation efforts and "realize the objectives of a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, including their means of delivery."

 

"I hope that the 15 members will vote in favor and will be united once again on this very important resolution," he added.

 

"Iran can suspend its enrichment and reprocessing activities...Let's hope that Iran will reflect on this resolution and make the good choice," Sabliere said.

 

US acting ambassador Alejandro Wolff said he was pleased with the outcome.

 

"It achieves the major US objectives of having a resolution voted this week, of achieving consensus, having a strong resolution with serious measures that underscore the severity with which the council views rejection of its resolutions and the importance of having Iran come back into compliance," Wolff said.

 

He said the new draft text includes an expansion of the sanctions that existed in previous resolutions, including "a complete arms embargo of sales, transfer, or supply by Iran of any weapon anywhere to anyone."

 

It also urges restrictions for governments to monitor "with high vigilance and focus" the export of arms to Iran.

 

"The combination of assets freeze, travel restrictions, arms embargoes, and financial measures -- a good package of serious measures designed to increase the incentives for Iran to come back into compliance," Wolff said.

 

Dumisani Kumalo, the ambassador of South Africa who serves as president of the Security Council for March, said Pretoria "achieved not everything we wanted but we achieved a lot."

 

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cancelled his planned trip to New York, due to a "US obstacle on visa issuance" for him and his entourage, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammed Ali Hosseini said.

 

Hosseini said Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki will address the Security Council instead and "explain Iran's position on the nuclear issue."

 

(Xinhua News Agency March 24, 2007)